Hilo Highlights
Though we are staying on the opposite side of the island, pre-trip research taught us that the best local food is in and around Hilo. So, on our third day we made the two-hour drive to eat what there is to eat.
Here are two places we thought were great:
Hilo Farmer's Market
We are regulars at the farmers' markets in the Bay Area, so were very interested to see what a Hawaiian version would be like. We weren't disappointed. All of the tropical staples you'd expect are there: Pineapple, Mango, Papayas, Bananas, etc., and many are ridiculously cheap (we bought 5 papayas for $2.00) But there are a lot of exotic fruits that I'd never heard of, let alone tried. For example, I'd never heard of a Star Apple before. It's a beautiful, purple plum-like fruit that has a delicate flavor like a super-ripe persimmon. If you are staying in a condo and prepping your own breakfasts, you can load-up on a week' worth of goodness here.
Two Ladies Kitchen
After the market, we walked a couple of blocks to a mochi shop we'd read about called "Two Ladies Kitchen". The shop was so small we almost missed it -- the inside is about as large as a phone booth. But, there are a lot of Japanese-Americans living in the Hilo area, so our hopes were high that we'd find something good.
Jackpot!
Their mochi is better than most of the stuff I''ve had in Japan. The texture is amazingly soft, even after refrigeration, and their anko has just the right amount of sweetness. Their ichigo-daifuku are the size of baseballs, and they use local strawberries that are ultra ripe. Bottom line: if you like mochi, then you must visit this shop at all costs if you are on the Big Island.
Two Ladies Kitchen
(808) 961-4766
274 Kilauea Ave
Hilo, HI 96720